In the case of an accident, wrong-way drivers, who are also referred to as ghost drivers, cause deaths, injuries and considerable property damage. Detection on the basis of a navigation device alone, using, for example, a road class and a street direction, is too late in most cases; that is, the wrong-way driver is already on the wrong roadway at a high speed of travel and with a high probability of a collision. Drivers in the vicinity of a wrong-way driver may be warned, for example, via vehicle-to-vehicle communication or by mobile radio communication.
Over half of the instances of wrong-way driving begin at federal expressway exits. In particular, instances of wrong-way travel on expressways result in accidents at a high collision speed and, consequently, in serious injuries or injuries resulting in death.